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Thomson struck a courageous 71 not out, and in the company of du Plessis, whose purple patch extended into a third fifty in four games, steered a tricky chase with three balls to spare

The Report by Akshay Gopalakrishnan09-Dec-2018Having totaled 17 runs in three games until Sunday, Grant Thomson left behind his mark in the 2018-19 Mzansi Super League with a courageous 71 not out to keep Paarl Rocks alive in the competition, after a tight chase against Jozi Stars at the New Wanderers Stadium. Barring a reprieve owing to a missed stumping on the ball before he hit the winning runs – which arrived via a crunching extra cover drive – Thomson played a mature, and largely composed innings, giving the Rocks, facing a must-win, victory with three balls to spare.Contributing in equal measure to the win was Faf du Plessis, who continued to dominate bowling attacks with his third half-century in four matches. While Thomson crucially stayed until the end, it was du Plessis who provided Rocks with the impetus to their chase, launching a barrage of boundaries in a domineering display that gave them the security against a brief death-overs stutter and come out unscathed.As if the pressure of a must-win and a chase of 171 wasn’t enough, Rocks had lost two wickets halfway through the third over when the two joined hands. Duanne Olivier hit Rocks with wickets off successive deliveries in his first over, first getting Cameron Delport to top-edge a pull by generating extra bounce, and then harrying Aiden Markram with pace to draw an inside edge onto the stumps.Kagiso Rabada was even quicker in the next over, hitting upwards of 145-kmph consistently and beating the bat outside off. The downside of that sort of pace, however, is the ball flying off the bat even if the timing and connection are a little off, and once Thomson punched Rabada for a four through extra cover off the last ball of that over, Rocks quickly moved into the ascendancy.Olivier undid his good work in his previous over by losing his lengths against du Plessis, who cracked him for a brace of fours. Thomson and du Plessis then closed out the Powerplay by pillaging 19 runs off Dan Christian.Du Plessis was the aggressor through most of this passage. Pulling, driving and punching pristinely, he collected his first 20 runs at a strike rate of nearly 300. It meant Thomson could settle into neatly nudging the ball around into the gaps and turn the strike over, forming the ideal complement in such a situation.Thomson shifted gears in the second half of the chase, starting with a six over deep midwicket off Pongolo that took him into the 40s. Du Plessis survived a close lbw call that same over, and then again in the first ball of the next over, when Rabada believed he had found his outside edge, as Stars were left frustrated.With Thomson unfurling his own range of strokes, he eventually beat du Plessis to the fifty, getting there off 38 balls. The 100 of the stand came up off 64 balls in the next over, and in the over after that, du Plessis had his fifty, with a booming extra cover drive, as Rocks progressed clinically.It was only when du Plessis fell to Christian in the 16th over, attempting a paddle to a ball that wasn’t full enough and arrowed in straight to ping him in front of leg stump, that Stars found a way back in.Dwayne Bravo came out swinging big from ball one but wasn’t necessarily rewarded for it, as Stars tightened the screws, conceding just 12 runs between overs 16 and 18. The only blemish on Stars during that passage was Dane Vilas spilling a tough chance off Bravo’s outside edge in the 17th over. Bravo took toll of the reprieve, swinging Dwayne Pretorious for a pair of sixes in a 17-run 19th over to take out the last semblance of parity from the contest.Rocks also hit the right notes after electing to field, taking out the Stars openers inside the first four overs, Hendricks chopping one onto the stumps and Gayle falling to a blinder out of thin air from David Wiese at cover.That left Rassie van der Dussen to do the rebuilding, and he did a fine job of it, starting with a 73-run stand with Dane Vilas. Van der Dussen crawled to 4 off 13 balls before breaking the shackles by thumping Mungroo over mid-off for four.Van der Dussen manipulated the bowler’s lines and lengths by using his crease well, and by the end of the seventh over, the recovery was fully on, with 41 runs having come in four overs. Van der Dussen’s sequence of six, four and four off Bravo in the 11th over put Stars in sight of a big total. But unlike in the chase, he had no substantial support at the other end – barring a 17-ball 28 from Pretorius at No. 7 – and the difference was telling.

The PSL franchises fill up their rosters ahead of the 2019 season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2018

Essex could wrap up the Championship this week and Warwickshire could be relegated. Both scenarios moved a step closer on the opening day with only Dom Sibley standing firm

George Dobell at Edgbaston12-Sep-20171:34

The highlights from a crucial round of the Specsavers Championship

Like lifts passing in opposite directions, Essex and Warwickshire are destined to conflicting emotions at the end of this season.While Essex, going into this round of games 36 points clear of second-placed Lancashire, look all but certain to finish as County Champions for the first time since 1992, Warwickshire are doomed to life in Division Two for the first time since 2008. Both eventualities could be confirmed in this round of games.If Essex do go on to clinch the trophy – the first time a promoted side will have done so since Nottinghamshire in 2005 – it is a success that will be celebrated far beyond the county’s own boundary. They have shown what can be achieved by building their revival on the skills of locally-developed players – even without Alastair Cook, eight of this side could be so described – with a shrewd Kolpak signing filling a hole when it comes to spin-bowling talent.By doing so they have not only provided opportunities for England-qualified players to develop – and several of this Essex side could have England careers ahead of them – but improved the standard of the county game. They have, in short, almost perfectly fulfilled the role of county clubs. They gain full-houses for their home T20 matches, too.Essex took a firm stride towards their desired destination on the first day of this game. Taking advantage of an early start (10.30am for September matches), a fresh surface and a batting line-up lacking confidence, they had Warwickshire two down within the first 15 deliveries and never relented. Had Dominic Sibley, the one man to pass 37 in the Warwickshire innings, been held at slip on 2 – as he should have been – Essex might already have a first innings lead.As it is, that may have to wait until early afternoon. But the comfort with which they started their reply wasn’t just due to the easing nature a pitch that may have dried out as the day progressed, but the difference in confidence between these sides. Essex expect to win; Warwickshire know they are relegated.It was Simon Harmer who dropped Sibley, but he more than made amends. Bowling the sort of spell that would have him pushing hard for England selection if he were qualified, he harnessed a surprising amount of turn (this pitch has not been used previously this season) allied to some admirable accuracy and well-controlled variation. He has, no doubt, benefited this season from the footholes provided by playing with a couple of left-arm seamers – but here, without much assistance from that, he troubled all the batsman and was largely responsible for Warwickshire losing their last six wickets for 48 and their last five for 20.Jamie Porter was in the wickets again•Getty Images

But it was Jamie Porter who made the key breakthroughs at the start of the day. Bowling from slightly wide of the crease, he pushes the ball into the batsman but looks for away movement rendering it hard to leave him and dangerous to play. He also hits the seam often and bowls wonderfully, relentlessly full and straight. It is no coincidence that Essex claimed seven leg-before dismissals; one more would have equalled the first-class record. Porter is currently, with 61, the leading wicket-taker in the division. He and Harmer (59) are the only men in Division One with 50 wickets.Porter’s first spell set the tone for the day. He punished both Sam Hain (preferred to the dropped Andy Umeed) and Jonathan Trott for falling to the off side with straight deliveries and should have had Sibley caught in the slips with one that left him. Later he punished Keith Barker for playing across one before Sibley, left only with the No. 11, dismissed any thought of trying to carry his bat in a selfless attempt to hit a few quick runs. An edged drive was his reward.Should Porter be in consideration for an Ashes place? His skills are timeless and universal, so he would not let England down. The lack of height or pace is a concern, though, and pitches in Australia are unlikely to offer this sort of assistance. Besides, England may consider they are already well-served by fast-medium seamers in the presence of James Anderson. Porter seems unlikely to make the trip.For a while it seemed Ian Bell might be on the brink of a long overdue return to form. Certainly he timed a few strokes, notably a pair of cover drives off Neil Wagner, beautifully. But, having made his highest score for 10 first-class innings, his planted front foot was struck by a fine inswinger from the same bowler.Meanwhile Matt Lamb, having fought well for a time, hung his bat out at one from Sam Cook, before Chris Woakes was beaten by a quicker one from round the wicket that held its line, Alex Mellor (playing instead of Tim Ambrose, who hurt his neck in training on Monday) left a straight one, Jeetan Patel played across another, though replays suggested he was unfortunate, and debutant Henry Brookes was bowled through the gate.The fact that 18-year-old Brookes is playing – he was preferred to Chris Wright and playing instead of Olly Stone, who has a bruised heel after Finals Day – speaks volumes for Warwickshire’s situation. After a few years where the squad was allowed to stagnate, the club is now aggressively – desperately, even – pursuing a more youthful policy. That Brookes is the 24th man to represent them in first-class cricket this season and the 30th in all first-team cricket (the likes of Ed Pollock, Adam Hose and Aaron Thomason have not featured in the first-class team) suggests they are none too sure about the identity of the next generation, but know they have to find it.One of the next generation will, no doubt, be Sibley. There was little pretty about this innings, but it demonstrated the virtues of great application, leaving well and playing straight. Without him Warwickshire would have been routed.It will have rubbed salt in the wounds of Warwickshire supporters that Varun Chopra, who could easily still be playing for the club, looked so accomplished in reply. It’s going to take a few years to turn things around at Edgbaston. They could find the climb out of Division Two slippery and steep.

Surrey have signed Indian left-arm spinner Murali Kartik for the whole of the 2012 season

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2011Surrey have signed Indian left-arm spinner Murali Kartik for the whole of the 2012 season. Kartik joins on a one-year deal and is available for all three competitions.Kartik, 35, has enjoyed several spells in county cricket, most recently for Somerset where he played against Surrey in the CB40 final in September. He will add experience to Surrey’s squad as they return to Division One of the County Championship.”I am very happy to be signing for Surrey for next season,” said Kartik, who has taken 71 wickets for Somerset at 25.00 in the last two seasons. “Surrey are one of the biggest domestic sides in the world game and I hugely look forward to playing my cricket at an iconic ground like the The Oval.”Kartik will join up with Surrey for pre-season training in the new year and it is hoped his presence will help the development of young spinners Zafar Ansari – who, playing for Oxford University, dismissed Kevin Pietersen in his comeback match in May – Matthew Spreigel and Freddie van den Bergh.The Surrey team director, Chris Adams, said Kartik would add another dimension to Surrey’s bowling attack. “As shown with the signing of Pragyan Ojha for the final part of the 2011 season, a ‘mystery’ spinner can often make a major difference to the outcome of a campaign. Having someone of Kartik’s quality on board for the entirety of next season will be a great boost.”Surrey begin their 2012 season against Sussex at the Oval on April 5.

In the absence of Rahul Dravid, the stage is set for Laxman to bat again at No. 3, ahead of Murali Vijay, who batted one-drop at Nagpur and has the attitude but not the experience

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Feb-2010In March 2001, India were falling apart at the Eden Gardens. Steve Waugh’s ruthlessness had seen Australia string together a record 16 Test wins on the trot as they reached Kolkata. Another victory seemed imminent by the end of the third day after India were made to follow on.It was a desperate situation – the series was at stake – and Sourav Ganguly and John Wright, India’s men in charge, were pushed to the wall. Call it impulse, instinct, hunch or plain desperation, their decision was pure left-field: they asked VVS Laxman to get ready to bat at his most desired position – No.3.Laxman was yet to unstrap his pads; he was the last man out in the first innings, having survived two hours of rigorous examination, but was the sole Indian batsman to hit a half century. Yet he went out at the fall of the first wicket and the rest is history.Nine years down the line, India find themselves in a similar difficult position, with more than the series at stake – they could also lose the world No. 1 ranking to South Africa. And, in the absence of Rahul Dravid, the stage is set for Laxman to bat again at No. 3, ahead of Murali Vijay, who batted one-drop at Nagpur and has the attitude but not the experience.Wright, though, has no doubt in his mind. “If Dravid is not there I’ll play Laxman at three without question straightaway,” he told Cricinfo. His confidence in Laxman, he said, stems from his ability to put the fast bowlers under pressure. “If it is the Laxman I knew, he is particularly good against the opening bowling attack because he takes the attack to the bowlers.”Recalling the events of 2001, Wright said the strategy of playing Laxman up the order in that Test was based on his batting in the first innings. “But he has the ability to punish the bad balls. You just can’t bat to survive, you have to be positive. He is that sort of a player and he loves batting at No. 3,” Wright said.It’s not just a matter of instinct – the numbers, too, support a move up the order.
Laxman has batted at No.3 in 20 Tests and averages 47.45, which is slightly higher than his career average. What’s significantly higher is his rate of converting fifties into hundreds: in his entire career 14 out of 57 fifty-plus innings have been converted into centuries (a rate of 24.56); at No. 3, it goes up to 40% (four out of ten). He averages almost 76 when batting at that position at home, and India have won five out of the six Tests when he has batted there. The last time he played in that position at home was in a winning cause, when his fighting century against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad in 2005 set the tone for the victory. And minimising the risk factor further is this factoid: Eden Gardens happens to be his favourite ground in India – he has scored three centuries here in eight Tests, and averages almost 82.Of course, the theory comes with caveats. His fitness, for one: Laxman opted out of the Nagpur Test at the last minute, having failed to recover completely from the wrist injury to his left hand. But he’s been practising hard; on Friday, he batted at No. 3 in the nets and also received some slip catches from Gary Kirsten to allay fitness concerns.He also hasn’t been in great nick of late; Laxman’s last century was the unbeaten 124 in Napier a year ago, where he helped ensure India drew the match. He made half-centuries in each of the three Tests against Sri Lanka at the end of 2009 but each time failed to convert though he had enough time. Seen differently, though, it could be that Laxman will be driven by the hunger to make a big score.It would still be an unconventional decision but in MS Dhoni India have an unconventional captain with a record of unexpected decisions. Like Ganguly, he relies on his instinct and it would not be a surprise if he promotes Laxman to make the top order more solid.”Leadership is very instinctive, you’ve got to with your gut feeling,” said Wright, who brought Dhoni into the Indian team. “Sometimes when you have come out of a big loss some captains can tend to become more cautious. But I don’t think it will happen (with Dhoni). I just don’t think Mahendra is that sort of guy.”Wright concedes, though, that the stakes are very high. “That is what it is about being the No.1: you are always being challenged. You need to be positive and have a lot of self- belief,. India would have been under some challenging situations on their journey to No.1 but South Africa are hungry for it.”

Henry Hunt made an unbeaten 104 for South Australia under grey skies at the Gabba after Queensland sent them in

AAP06-Nov-2023South Australia opener Henry Hunt has defied the Gabba gloom and Queensland’s pace attack to send a three-figure reminder to Australia’s selectors.Hunt was unbeaten on 104 on Monday night, taking South Australia to 190 for 2 after a rain-shortened first day of their Sheffield Shield clash in Brisbane.The 26-year-old survived and then flourished after lunch to bring up his eighth first-class century in the shadows of stumps, off 236 balls.It was Hunt’s first Shield score of substance this season, ending a first-class century drought that stretched back to Australia A’s tour of Sri Lanka in June last year.The opener’s patient knock came once the hosts, after a two-hour rain delay, opted to bowl in what appeared ideal conditions for the Bulls’ quicks.The ball beat the bat regularly but Hunt, arguably the forgotten man behind Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw in the race to replace retiring Test opener David Warner, held his nerve.”I don’t think people lose it overnight,” Hunt said of his return to form. “You’ve got to trust the process and it was nice to make it count today.”You’ve just got to keep the faith, keep riding the highs and lows.”(Cricket) is a big leveller … you could come out tomorrow and nick the first ball.”Despite 13 boundaries, the big feature of Hunt’s knock were the quick singles that released pressure as the Bulls’ pace battery hammered away on a slow wicket.That determined running twice almost brought him undone with his century in sight but Queensland couldn’t take their chances, with batting partner Nathan McSweeney diving to make his ground for the single that brought up Hunt’s milestone.Hunt and Jake Carder (37 off 115) were circumspect as they survived the first session. Michael Neser went for just six runs in his first nine overs and finished with figures of 0 for 25 from 14 overs.Gurinder Sandhu finally found Carder’s edge after lunch and Jack Wildermuth pinned Daniel Drew in front soon after.But McSweeney (33 not out) joined Hunt to keep the hosts at bay under lights in an unbroken 90-run stand, despite a probing spell from legspinner Mitchell Swepson.”He held their top order together beautifully,” Swepson said of Hunt. “He’d be happy with how well he left the ball today and waited for us to come to him.”Only the two wickets but we felt we bowled really well.”

England’s batting line-up, which managed 147 and 297 at the Gabba, will remain unchanged

Andrew McGlashan15-Dec-2021Having planned for years to always have a point-of-difference pace option in their Ashes teams, England have left out Mark Wood, their fastest bowler, from their 12-player squad for the day-night Test in Adelaide.England said that Wood, who topped 150kph in Brisbane, had been rested with James Anderson, who was not in final consideration for the first Test, taking his place. Left-arm spinner Jack Leach has been retained despite the punishment dished out to him last week with the final decision again seemingly between him and Stuart Broad.Related

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Wood bowled with pace and hostility in Brisbane, claiming Steven Smith caught behind on the second day to spark a period where England briefly brought themselves back into the contest before Travis Head ripped the game away from them.Wood was the only one of the three express quicks England had earmarked for this tour with Jofra Archer and Olly Stone injured.Anderson’s recall for this match had been expected with the hope that he can exploit the pink-ball and have the opportunity to bowl when conditions are favourable under lights. Four years ago, he took his only five-wicket haul in Australia when he and Chris Woakes bowled Australia for 138 in the second innings although the game still ended in a heavy defeat for England.”I had success with it [the pink ball] last time here, but it is quite temperamental still,” Anderson said. “It’s not a given it will swing round corners. We know it’s generally a good pitch here, if the sun’s out it won’t do a great deal but there might be times during the game – twilight or when it’s dark – that it might do a little bit more. Take advantage of those times when it does do a bit.”England’s batting line-up, which managed 147 and 297 at the Gabba, will remain unchanged.Keeping Leach in the 12 is a show of faith after he was treated harshly in Brisbane to concede 102 from 13 overs. They were cautioned against going into the day-night Test without a spinner by Adelaide Oval groundsman Damian Hough while Nathan Lyon has taken 19 wickets at 25.78 in the fixture.”History says that the pitch will spin,” Hough said on Wednesday. “Nathan has always played a role out there so from our end we believe that spin in Adelaide needs to play a part. We feel that it has previously and it still should.”

“It’s possible that if we try to reduce his rate of scoring, the chances of him making a mistake are higher”

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Apr-2021Try to get him lbw early. Try to get him out with offspin. And if none of that works, dry up the runs.This, according to captain Dimuth Karunaratne, is Sri Lanka’s plan to dismiss Tamim Iqbal – Bangladesh’s top scorer in the first Test. Although he didn’t score a century, Iqbal’s 90 off 101 helped set Bangladesh on track for their mammoth total, before his 74 not out off 98 in the second dig crushed any hope of a Sri Lanka victory, after the hosts had claimed two quick wickets.Related

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Iqbal, in general, has been effective in Sri Lanka. On the last tour, his 82 off 125 balls had seen Bangladesh chase down a tricky target in Colombo, leading to their only Test win over Sri Lanka.”We might have both Dhananjaya de Silva and Ramesh Mendis in the team, so we’d have two offspinners, and in the last few series Tamim hasn’t played offspinners that well,” Karunaratne said ahead of the second Test. “The first five or ten overs, Suranga Lakmal also has a good chance of getting him out. The way Tamim plays, there are lbw opportunities. So we’ve got plans like that. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try to get him into a defensive mode.”In addition to averaging 62.85 in Sri Lanka, Iqbal also has an excellent strike rate of 62.14 on the island. Sri Lanka believe tamping down his scoring rate may mean a lower average too.”Tamim scores quickly and really tries to unsettle the bowlers and put them under pressure. It’s possible that if we try to reduce his rate of scoring, the chances of him making a mistake are higher. In the first Test we tried very hard to get him out, and what happened was that we leaked a lot of runs. In this match we’re planning to close up his big scoring areas and get him to play more defensively. When he attacks more, we do give away a lot of runs, and it’s hard for us to recover.”In the absence of Lasith Embuldeniya (who is injured) and Dilruwan Perera (who failed to meet fitness requirements), however, Sri Lanka’s spin attack does not have substantial menace on paper. Karunaratne hopes his attack is nevertheless capable of taking 20 wickets.”These are the resources that I’ve got as captain. In the past we had Rangana Herath, and also Dilruwan Perera. You can’t expect the same performance you expect from a Herath from a spinner who’s only played a few matches. I think they’ll show what their got, though. As a captain I’m trying to figure out how to get them to perform. What Herath and Dilruwan Perera did – we can’t expect that. But if they can do 70% or 80% of that, that’ll be great. It’ll take the spinners some time.”

“It will be difficult to win by playing normal cricket with set plans, because of the resources we have”

Mohammad Isam21-Nov-2020Tamim Iqbal says he will have to have “out of the box” plans for Fortune Barishal to do well in the forthcoming Bangabandhu T20 Cup. Head coach Sohel Islam and manager Hasibul Hossain, who were at Barishal’s table during last week’s players draft, started off well by picking Iqbal with their first call but then went on to take a lot of young cricketers who lack T20 credentials.As a result, Barishal, who take on the tournament favourites Gemcon Khulna on November 24, look the weakest as of now. They don’t have enough forceful middle-order batsmen and allrounders; Irfan Sukkur and young Towhid Hridoy have to take care of the middle-order while offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz and young legspinner Aminul Islam make up a long-ish tail.Iqbal said they didn’t have a good players’ draft but hoped some of the youngsters will step up in the tournament.”There’s no doubt we have made some mistakes in the draft but cricket is a game of uncertainty,” he said. “Maybe we are not counting some of the players in this team but they can all have a great tournament. Those who are not in the limelight may have to end up doing more for this team. In the President’s Cup, we ended up talking about a couple of players we didn’t think would do well.”To be successful with this squad, we have to play out of the box, by surprising the opponent. It will be difficult to win by playing normal cricket with set plans, because of the resources we have. I believe that anything can happen if one or two of our players can perform really well.”Iqbal, who recently played in the PSL playoffs for the Lahore Qalandars, hinted that he may even have to bat down the order to plug the gaps in the Barishal line-up.”My performance is going to be very important,” he said. “If I lead from the front, if you leave aside my captaincy and I just score runs, it will definitely motivate the team. I may have to play different roles in the tournament. As I said, depending on resources, you have to think differently and act according to the situation.”I am in good touch. I would like to score some more runs. We may not have played a lot of cricket but many of us have been in regular training over the last six months. It is going to be important to start the tournament well. It will give me confidence.”Given the lop-sided experience within the squad, Iqbal said he was relying on the likes of Sukkur, Towhid and Afif Hossain. But at the same time, he is also expecting others to take responsibility.”Irfan had a very good tournament. I am waiting to see how Towhid Hridoy performs in the T20 format but he is a quality player. Afif, Irfan and Towhid will have to play out of their skins. They have to take responsibility, like all the others in the team, to make this a success.”We don’t have any seniors or juniors in this team. I am the only experienced player in the team, but to make it a successful team, everyone has to take responsibility. It doesn’t matter if I have played for 13 years or they have been playing for two years.”

Third-wicket stand of 159 lifts visitors from 17 for 2 on rain-affected first day

ECB Reporters Network15-Aug-2020A third-wicket partnership of 159 left Durham in a strong position when rain caused an early close of play on the first day of their Bob Willis Trophy match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.It was an impressive recovery from the visitors, who after being put in to bat under grey skies, might have feared the worst after being reduced to 17 for 2.Opener Sean Dickson poked tentatively at a Dieter Klein delivery pushed across him by the left-arm seamer to edge a simple catch to wicket-keeper Harry Swindells, and Cameron Steel, having scored just one, edged an out-swinger from Gavin Griffiths to Hassan Azad at first slip.Alex Lees and David Bedingham had other ideas, however, taking advantage of the lack of seam movement and a fast outfield to score quickly.Lees looked in good touch, particularly when driving straight, but Bedingham needed two moments of good fortune, firstly when he was dropped on 24, a straightforward edge off Tom Taylor put down by Swindells, and then on 37, when he advanced down the pitch to left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson and was beaten by the turn, only for Swindells to fail to gather the ball.Bedingham was the first to his half-century, made off just 70 balls and reached by lofting Colin Ackermann for a huge six over midwicket, with Lees following in a more circumspect manner soon afterwards, off 103 balls.The occasional ball was turning for the spinners, but slowly, and with runs continuing to flow, Ackermann turned back to his seamers to try and regain control of the scoreboard.Bedingham continued to prosper, but on 96 and looking for the boundary required to bring up his century, edged a drive at a Taylor out-swinger and Ackermann took a neat catch low to his left at second slip.Shortly afterwards a shower saw the umpires take the players off for an early tea, with 38 overs remaining and Lees undefeated on 62. A restart was planned for 4.45pm, but the rain became heavier and play was abandoned for the day shortly before 5.30pm.